1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video game system, and more particularly, to a video game system whereby a character whose actions are controlled by the operations of a player and a character controlled by a rival player or by a computer compete against each other on a display screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video game devices for conducting competitive games by controlling the actions of fighting characters displayed on the screen of a display device are popular, and video game devices involving a variety of characters have been provided.
As one mode for implementing a competitive game in such a video game device, if one person is playing alone, the player controls a character he or she has selected by controlling an operating lever/switch, and the actions of the opposing character that the player is competing with are controlled by a computer.
In a further mode the character operated by the player himself or herself contends with a character operated by another player, and the players compete for victory.
Therefore, in order to facilitate the implementation of games according to this latter mode, there exist many configurations comprising two video game units in a pair. FIG. 8 is an external view of one example of a video game device comprising two video game units.
In FIG. 8, a video game unit 1GL positioned on the left-hand side and a video game unit 1GR positioned on the right-hand side are coupled to form an integral element. These units each comprise, respectively, a high-back chair 1 in which a player sits, and a display device 2 facing same.
Moreover, a pair of operating levers/switches 3 are provided for each video game unit operated by a player. The direction of movement of the characters displayed is controlled by moving these operating levers/switches 3. Furthermore a control button 30, or the like, is provided on each lever.
By operating this control button 30 independently, or simultaneously with the operating lever 3, a weapon can be fired, or a movement of the character, for example, a special movement effect, such as a jump or dash, etc., can be generated.
Here, in the video game device shown in FIG. 8, the control boards of the video game unit 1GL and the video game unit 1GR, positioned on the right-hand side, which are not shown in the diagram, are of the same composition. Therefore, players can play a competitive game alone against the computer at the video game unit 1GL and the video game until 1GR, independently.
Furthermore, the video game until 1GL and the video game unit 1GR have communications interface circuits. Consequently, a competitive game can be played between the video game units, in other words, between two players, by mutual transmission and reception of operational data.
Here, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B a case is considered where two video game devices are installed in a game center, or the like. In this case, configurations as shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B can be conceived as modes for connecting the communications interface circuits.
Namely in FIG. 9A, a first video game device is connected by communications wires CW1, CW2 to a second video game device, such that pairs are formed between the left-hand units and right-hand units, in other words, video game units 1GL and 2GR, and video game units 1GR and 2GL form pairs, respectively.
In FIG. 9B, the communications wires CW1, CW2 connect the left-hand video game unit and the right-hand video game unit in each video game device, such that pairs are formed between video game units 1GL and 1GR, and between video game units 2GL and 2GR.
In a competitive game as described above, at the end of a game, for each character appearing, the model name of the character (for example, the pet name of a robot character, or the like,) the number of consecutive victories, and the character s attacking tendencies, etc. are stored in a memory as characteristics parameters. Therefore, the values of these characteristics parameters are updated in accordance with the character""s past contests.
In some cases, a player may wish to refer to the characteristics parameters of the characters in order to compete against a character having stronger parameter values.
In this case, even if the video game units 1GL, 1GR, 2GL and 2GR are capable of displaying individual characters, the video game units paired together by the communications wires CWl, CW2 are fixed in either of the configurations shown in FIG. 9A or FIG. 9B.
Therefore, the player is only able to compete against the character displayed on a single fixed video game unit. Moreover, in a game centre where the video game devices are installed, if, for instance, video game units 1GL and 2GL of the aforementioned video game units 1GL, 1GR, 2GL and 2GR are occupied by independent play (a game against the computer), then two customers visiting the game centre together will not be able to play a competitive game. In situations of this kind, there is poor flexibility in the relationship between the number of players and the unoccupied video game units.
Moreover, in FIGS. 9A and 9B, if a player at any one video game unit which is paired with another video game unit by the communications wires continues to play a one-player game, then it is not possible to play a competitive game against the player in that same pair of units.
Furthermore, even if a player wishes to play a competitive game against another player at a unit in a different pair, it will not be possible to conduct a competitive game between the two players, because their units are not linked by the communications wires.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video game system and a method for conducting competitive games, whereby a competitive game can be conducted between characters at any video game unit installed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a video game system and a method for conducting competitive games, whereby, when a plurality of video game units are installed, a competitive game involving a greater variety of characters can be conducted and the probability of being able to play a competitive game against another player is increased.
The video game system for conducting competitive games according to the present invention, which resolves the aforementioned problems, comprises a plurality of video game units connected in a ring configuration by means of a communications line, each of the plurality of video game units comprising: a memory storing a program for implementing competitive games whereby a contest is conducted on a display screen by controlling the actions of two characters; control means for controlling the implementation of the program stored in the memory; input means for inputting first data controlling the actions of one of the two characters; and a communications interface circuit for receiving second data controlling the actions of the other of the two characters from one video game unit of a plurality of video game units, and transmitting the first data input via the input means to the one video game unit.
The control means controls the display of the two characters on the display screens on the basis of the first data and the second data in accordance with the implementation of the program.
In one embodiment, the plurality of video game units are accommodated, respectively in pairs, in common video game device frames.
In one embodiment the communications interface circuit transmits the first data onto the communications line by writing the first data to a prescribed position assigned to the relevant video game unit, of prescribed positions assigned respectively to the plurality of video game units in a packet-type data format, and receives the second data written to a prescribed position assigned to a video game unit relating to a game opponent, from the communications line. Moreover, a video game unit having input means for inputting the first data identifies the one video game unit which is to form an opponent in a competitive game by means of a competition-enabled flag written to a prescribed position assigned to the one video game unit in a packet-type data format.
Yet further, in the method for conducting competitive games according to the present invention, which resolves the aforementioned problems, a competitive game is conducted between different video game units, by means of the steps of: connecting a plurality of video game units storing a program for implementing competitive games, whereby a contest is conducted on a display screen by controlling the actions of two characters, in a ring configuration by means of a communications line; exchanging data for controlling characters corresponding respectively to the two characters between any one video game unit and any other video game unit of the plurality of video game units; and executing the program by synchronizing the any one video game unit and the any other video game unit.
In one embodiment, the any one video game unit transmits a competitive game request to the any other video game unit, the any other video game unit transmits a competitive game request acceptance confirmation to the any one video game unit, and competitive game conditions are exchanged between the any other video game unit and the any one video game unit, whereupon implementation of the program is started. Furthermore, the competitive game conditions relating to the aforementioned composition set the game time and number of set games.
Moreover, when the competitive game conditions are completed, either one of the any one video game unit and the any other video game unit determines which one of the characters operated by the any one video game unit and the any other video game unit has the higher number of points in the game.
According to the device and method of the present invention having the aforementioned composition, it is possible to conduct a competitive game between any of a plurality of video game units.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments thereof, which are described with reference to the drawings.